Washing apparatus



Aug. 6, 1968 1.. A. DERWIN WASHING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 12, 1966 Atrorney United States Patent D 3,395412 WASHING APPARATUS Louis A. Darwin, 4508 Cross St. ll)owners Grove, 111. 60515 Filed Sept. 12, 1966, Ser. N0. 578,662 7 Claims. (Cl. 153) Ths invention is directed to a washing device and more specifically concerns an apparatus for washing automobiles though not specifically restricted thereto.

In car wash stands the principal difliculty is the lack of consistent labor supply. Those stations which feature self-service employ -a high strearn jet of water with a cleaning solvent such as any well known detergent and rely upon the impingement action of the water to scour off the dirt. At best this has been found to be a makeshift proposition.

A general object of the present invention is to provide novel apparatus which includes a projectile saturable with a cleaning solution and which is adapted to be thrown with such velocity at the object to be washed as to eause the projectile to deform against the surfaee to be washed and to slide therealong in an action simulating hand washing to physically remove the dirt.

A more specific object is to provide a novel system for washing objects which includes a support for such object within an enclosure into which project one or more guns trained upon the object to be washed, these guns directing sponges or the like saturated with water and detergent against the object, the sponges sliding off the object into a collection pit trom whence they are recirculated through appropriate cleaning and squeezing or kneading apparatus into the said guns.

These and other objects and advantages inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become more readily apparent from the specification and the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectonal view of a building and car washing apparatus in accordance with this invention, and

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken essentially on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 of the slinger mechanism.

The invention is shown in connecton with a car wash station 1 and includes an enclosure generally designated 2 which comprises an appropriate building having a roof 3 and tour sides 4 (only three of which are shown), two of the opposite sides each including a door 5 for ingress and egress of the article to be washed such as the car 6. These doors would, of course, be closed during the washing operation.

The bottom of the enclosure may comprise a turntable 7 having a top plate or floor structure 8 of grillework form to provide vertical apertures 9 therethrough communicating with a pit or sump 10 which may be of trough or annular shape having vertical sides 11 defining an opening 12 into which fits the aforenientioned floor structure 8, the latter being carried at its center from a vertical rotatable support or shaft 13 which may be combined with the shaft of a hermetically sealed appropriately geared down power unit 15 such as an electrio motor which may be suitably anchored via its housng 16 to the bottom wall 17 of the sump.

The automobile 6 is driven into the enclosure through one of the doors 5 upon guide rails 18 which may be secured upon the floor structure. Thereupon the doors are closecl and the operator or the customer proceeds to wash the vehicle by suitably starting the washing apparatus generally designated 25. The specific starting and stopping means is of no consequence in the present invention, but may consist of switch controlled suitable electrical wiring to the various valves and motors hereinafter described.

3,395412 Patentel Aug. 6, 1968 Upon initiating the unit, the operator preferably manually controls the gun or nozzle 26 by graspng the hand-hold 27 on the barrel 28 of the gun and aiming it onto the area of the car intended to be washed.

A stream of either synthetic or natural sponges '30 issue at high velocity from the barrel, these sponges being saturated or permeated with a solution of water and detergent, said sponges being of a consistency somewhat that of natural sponge. These sponges or projectiles 30 (which could be of disposable paper or inexpensive polyurethane or other plastic material and therefore expendable upon single use) strike the surface to be washed, deform to the contour of the surface and because of the lubricant (washing vehicle) therein slide along the surface to be washed with a wiping action whereby cleaning such surface. If reusable sponges -are used, these drop into the sump through the grille flooring and float in the liquid 32 in the sump to an elevator 33, the liquid being circulated toward the elevator by a pump 34 which has an inlet line 35 connected through a. vertical wall 11 of the sump behind the elevator conveyor 33 and has an exhaust line 37 connected through the bottom 17 of the sump in an area diametrically opposite the inlet.

The conveyor may be an endless chain apron type having a front pick-up or advance run 39 and a return or back run 40, the apron being trained at its lower end upon a sprocket assembly 42 adjacent to the bottom of the sump fron1 said suitable structure (not shown) and extending diagonally upwardly above the sump over and beyond theupper edge 43 of side wal] 11 of the sump and at its upper discharge end 44, the conveyor apron is trained about a powered sprocket and shaft assembly 45 which is suitably supported.

The apron includes a plurality of scoops 46 which extend transversely on the apron and dip through the solution 32 and carry the dirt laden sponges 30 over the discharge end 44 into a hopper 47 which is supported therebelow. The hopper discharges gravitationally through a bottom opening 48 into the intake nip 50 of a pair of squeeze rollers 51, 51 which are power driven and each comprising a shaft 52 and a body 53 of metal, or preferably elastorner material, such as synthetc or natural rubber. These rollers rotate at such speed as to propel the sponges, squeezed alrnost dry, through a washing charnber 54 which may be below the floor 55 from which depend spray nozzles 56 which are connected to a suitable source of water or cleaning fluid. The nozzles are preferably oriented to direct a fluid strearn toward the discharge end or side 57 of the chamber "54 to augrnent the propulsion of the sponges along the floor 55 of chamber 54 to the intake nip of a pair of second squeeze rollers 58, 58 each of which may be powered and are in essence of the same construction as rollers 51 and are mounted upon suitable support structure. The wal] 55 may slope toward rollers 58. These rollers 58 rotate in directions as shown and have a discharge area 59 facing the return run 60 of an elevating conveyor 61 which in essence is of the same construction as conveyor 33. The conveyor 61 has a bottom loop 63 which is trained about a sprocket and shaft assembly within a hopper 64 which is below rollers 58, the conveyor 61 having its lifting apron run 65 carrying the sponges in scoops 66 upwardly through an opening 67 in the floor 55 and over an idler sprocket assembly 68 and then diagonally upwardly over a powered sprocket assembly 70 at its discharge end 71 whereat the sponges are dumped into a hopper 72 which has a discharge funnel 73 guiding the descent of the sponges onto a slinger or thrower or impeller '75 which in the present instanee is shown as a disk '76 connected to a vertical shaft 77 which is driven by a motor '78 located below and mounted from the bottom plate 79 of the housing 80.

The sponges may be saturated from above by sprays 81 whch project into the housing 80 from its top wall 82 and hold the sponges against the top side 83 of the plate 76 between the radial vanes or blades 84 projecting upwardly from and connected to plate 76.

The sponges drop into the center eye 85 of the slinger and by centrifugal action are impelled radially outwardly toward the peripheral wall 86 of the honsing, said wal] 86 confining the sponges on the plate untl they exit from the outlets 87 defined between the blades adjacent to the outer periphery of the disk upon said outlets aligning with the discharge opening 90 in the housing 89.

The speed of rotation of the slinger and the dstance of travel of the sector of the disk carrying the sponges is so proportioned as to normally cause the sponges to slng out of the housng in the area of the outlet 9% which is connected -to a duct 91, which has a fiexible tube portion 92 connected t0 said barrel 26 whereby the latter may be oscillated to be directed against various areas of the car to be cleaned.

It will be noted that the barrel with the flexible tubing projects through an opening 93 in a side wall of the enc1osure.

If expendable cleaning elements 30 are used, the sump may be made large enough to accommodate a days or weeks supply and the recirculating conveyor and sponge cleaning system would be eliminated. Instead the hopper 72 may be a magazine or supplied with a predetermined quantity or metered amount of pellets in accordance with a specified charge from the customer and the system may be of the coin operated type.

The car may be automatically rotated on the turntable or may be actuated at the opton of the operator.

I claim:

1. An article cleanng apparatus comprising a deformable projectile element, means for coating said projectile element with a cleaning medium, and means for casting said projectile element against the artcle to be cleaned with a force sufficient to cause said element to deform against the object and slide along the same with a wipng acton, and a turntable havng a perforated floor for supporting the artcle to be washed, a sump beneath said turntable for collecting fluid and the cleanng elements thrown against the article, said elements adapted to drop through the perforated floor, means for collecting the cleaning elements from said sump and returnng the same to said casting means and including means for wringng L said elements and cleaning the same while in transit to said casting means.

2. The invention accordng to claim 1 and said means for wringing said elements including a cleaning chamber and cooperative roller means adapted to squeeze the said elements therebetween and operative to propel the elements through said chamber.

3. The invention according to claim 2 and further means in said chamber for augmenting movement of said cleanng elements through said chamber and including a. jet spray of cleanng liquid oriented to impinge against said elements in a direction exiting said elements from said chamber.

4. A vehicle cleaning apparatus comprsing means for supportng the vehicle, a nozzle, means for relatively movably positioning the nozzle and vehicle, cleaning elements adapted to be discharged from the nozzle aganst the vehicle to be washed, means for collecting and recycling said elements and including means for wringng, cleaning and recondtioning the surface of each element with a cleaning solution, and centrifuga] pump means for propelling the cleaned and reconditioned elements through said nozzle.

5. The invention according to claim 4 and said pump means comprising a plurality of vane members, and means for disposng the recondtioned elements between said vane members.

6. The invention according to claim 4 and means for depositing the cleaning solution onto the surfaces of said elements at said pump means.

7. The invention according to claim 4 and said pump means comprising a vane member, a housng enclosing said vane member and having a tangential outlet, and means for depositing the reconditioned elements into the housing remote from said outlet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,907,411 5/1933 Timoney 15-3 2,536,843 1/1951 Dye 153 2,660,744 12/1953 Cockrell 15-3 3,011501 12/1961 Beranek 134-123 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examner. R. I. SMITH, Assstant Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE CLEANING APPARATUS COMPRISING A DEFORMABLE PROJECTILE ELEMENT, MEANS FOR COATING SAID PROJECTILE ELEMENT WITH A CLEANING MEDIUM, AND MEANS FOR CASTING SAID PROJECTILE ELEMENT AGAINST THE ARTICLE TO BE CLEANED WITH A FORCE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SAID ELEMENT TO DEFORM AGAINST THE OBJECT AND SLIDE ALONG THE SAME WITH A WIPING ACTION, AND A TURNABLE HAVING A PERFORATED FLOOR FOR SUPPORTING THE ARTICLE TO BE WASHED, A SUMP BENEATH SAID TURNTABLE FOR COLLECTING FLUID AND THE CLEANING ELEMENTS THROWN AGAINST THE ARTICLE, SAID ELEMENTS ADAPTED TO DROP 